Gopal Rai warns of super El Nino threat
Amid rising temperatures across India and globally, senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai warned of a looming heatwave threat, citing the possibility of a super El Nino after 140 years. He urged the Centre to take timely and concrete measures while calling for collective action to tackle the risk of extreme heat and potential famine.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that describes the periodic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is part of a larger system known as the El Niño Southern Oscillation, or ENSO, which has three phases: El Niño, La Niña and neutral conditions.
The AAP leader explained that in India’s history, in 1877, crores of people suddenly lost their lives and vast stretches of land turned barren. Not only India, but countries like China, Brazil and several African nations saw millions perish.
The former Delhi environment minister continued, “What exactly happened in 1877? There was no war, no earthquake, yet why did so many people die, and why did such a massive famine occur in India? The reason was scientific, geographical and natural. A disturbance in ocean waters thousands of kilometres away from India, known worldwide as El Nino, caused the devastation. In 1877, the entire world faced the impact of a super El Nino.”
Rai said that many meteorologists believe that 2026 could see the most dangerous heat in human history, potentially breaking all records.”
“In Delhi, temperatures have already crossed 40 degrees Celsius. Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru are witnessing steadily rising heat. Across India, this heat is spreading rapidly, and its impact is now directly visible on people,” he said, adding that the effects of El Nino were seen in 2024 as well, when everyone experienced severe heatwaves. But this time, the super El Nino is expected to have an even more dangerous impact on human civilisation.
